–Agency serves final seven-day abatement notices, threatens prosecution
The Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) has commenced a final crackdown on households without functional toilet facilities in Jos South Local Government Area, giving defaulters seven days to comply or face prosecution.
The enforcement drive, being implemented under the SURWASH Programme, followed months of community sensitisation, household engagements, advocacy and interventions aimed at ensuring that residents provide and use proper toilet facilities.
PEPSA said it had exhausted several avenues of voluntary compliance, including public education, engagements with community leaders and household representatives, and advocacy for household-led provision of toilets.
The Agency also intervened in cases involving vulnerable households that were unable to provide toilet facilities on their own, constructing new toilets and upgrading existing ones as part of efforts to improve sanitation and promote compliance.
Despite these interventions, however, PEPSA said some households still do not have functional toilets.
Consequently, the Agency has commenced the service of final abatement notices, giving affected households seven days from the date of service to provide functional toilet facilities and meet the applicable sanitation requirements.
PEPSA warned that the expiration of the seven-day notice would trigger prosecution of households that remain non-compliant, in line with the relevant laws.
The Agency urged affected households to seize the final compliance window and take immediate steps to provide functional toilets before the commencement of legal action.
PEPSA stressed that the enforcement action was not a sudden measure, pointing to the extensive sensitisation, advocacy, community engagement and support already provided to residents.
With the expiration of the final notice period, the Agency said it would move fully into the enforcement phase to ensure compliance with sanitation standards across the affected communities.
The Director General of PEPSA, Samuel Nathaniel Dapiya, declared: “Every household MUST have a functional toilet. Compliance is no longer optional.”
The Agency said the measure is aimed at strengthening sanitation compliance and promoting healthier and cleaner communities across Jos South.
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